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he shows those who “do away with the canons.” For if the appointment had been lawful, he would not have been compelling through illegality those who lawfully disobeyed him to obey. And yet when such things have happened, you write that “a great peace has come to be in Alexandria and in Egypt,” unless the work of peace has been changed into its opposite and you call such things peace.

31.1 And I thought it necessary to declare this also to you, that Athanasius affirmed that Macarius in Tyre had been put under guard of soldiers and that only the accuser had gone away with those who went to the Mareotis, and that the presbyters who asked to be present at the examination were not permitted, and that the examination had been about a chalice and a table in the presence of the prefect and his staff, with pagans and Jews present. This was at first unbelievable, had it not also been shown from the records, at which 31.2 we were amazed, and I think you are still amazed, beloved. Presbyters who happen to be ministers of the mysteries are not permitted to be present, but in the presence of an external judge, with catechumens present, and what is worst, in the presence of pagans and Jews who are ill-disposed toward Christianity, an examination concerning the blood of Christ and the body of Christ takes place. For even if any offence had occurred at all, such things ought to be examined in the church by lawful clerics and not by pagans who detest the Word and do not know the truth. And I am persuaded that you and everyone perceive how great and of what sort this sin is. So much, then, concerning Athanasius;

32.1 Concerning Marcellus, since you wrote about him also as being impious toward Christ, I was eager to declare to you that when he came here he affirmed that what was written about him by you was not true, but nevertheless, when required by us to speak concerning the faith, he answered so boldly for himself that we recognized that 32.2 he professes nothing outside the truth. For he confessed that he holds such pious views concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the catholic church also holds; and he affirmed that he has held these views not just now, but for a long time, just as our presbyters who were then at the synod of Nicaea testified to his orthodoxy. For he insisted that both then and now he has held views against the heresy of the Arians, on which account it is also right to remind you, so that no one may accept such a heresy 32.3 but may detest it as foreign to sound doctrine. Therefore, since he holds right views and is testified to for his orthodoxy, what again ought we to do in his case, other than to have him, as we did, as a bishop and not cast him out of 32.4 communion? Now I have written these things not as defending them, but for the sake of your believing that we received the men justly and canonically, and you are contending in vain. And it is right for you to be diligent and to labor in every way, so that the things done contrary to the canon may obtain correction, and the churches may have peace, so that the peace of the Lord which was given to us may remain, and the churches not be divided, nor you endure blame as causes of schism. For I confess to you that what has been done are pretexts not for peace, but for schism.

33.1 For not only the bishops Athanasius and Marcellus have come here alleging that an injustice had been done against them, but also very many other bishops from Thrace, from Coele-Syria, from Phoenicia and Palestine. And not a few presbyters, and some others from Alexandria and others from other parts, have come to the synod here, in the presence of all the assembled bishops, in addition to the other things they said, they also lamented that the churches had suffered violence and injustice, and similar things to those in Alexandria and their own and in

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δείκνυσι τοὺς «παραλύοντας τοὺς κανόνας». εἰ γὰρ νομίμη ἦν ἡ κατάστασις, οὐκ ἂν διὰ παρανομίας ἠνάγκαζε πείθεσθαι τοὺς νομίμως ἀπειθοῦντας αὐτῷ. καὶ ὅμως τοιούτων γενομένων γράφετε «εἰρήνην με γάλην γεγενῆσθαι ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ», ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἀντιμεταβέβληται τὸ ἔργον τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἰρήνην ὀνομάζετε.

31.1 Κἀκεῖνο δὲ ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἐνόμισα δηλῶσαι ὅτι Ἀθανάσιος διεβεβαιοῦτο Μα κάριον ἐν Τύρῳ ὑπὸ στρατιώτας γεγενῆσθαι καὶ μόνον τὸν κατήγορον ἀπεληλυθέναι μετὰ τῶν ἀπελθόντων εἰς τὸν Μαρεώτην, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πρεσβυτέρους ἀξιοῦντας παρεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἐξετάσει μὴ συγκεχωρῆσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἐξέτασιν γεγενῆσθαι περὶ ποτηρίου καὶ τρα πέζης ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ ἐπάρχου καὶ τῆς τάξεως αὐτοῦ παρόντων ἐθνικῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων. τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἄπιστον ἦν, εἰ μὴ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων ἐδείκνυτο, ἐφ' ᾧ 31.2 καὶ ἐθαυμάσαμεν, νομίζω δὲ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἔτι θαυμάζειν, ἀγαπητοί. πρεσβύτεροι μὲν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπονται παρεῖναι οἱ καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων λειτουργοὶ τυγχάνοντες, ἐπὶ δὲ ἐξωτικοῦ δικαστοῦ παρόντων κατηχουμένων καὶ τό γε χείριστον, ἐπὶ ἐθνικῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων τῶν διαβεβλημένων περὶ τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν ἐξέτασις περὶ αἵματος Χριστοῦ καὶ σώματος Χριστοῦ γίνεται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅλως ἐγεγόνει τι πλημμέλημα, ἔδει ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὑπὸ κλη ρικῶν νομίμων ἐξετάζεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ ἐθνικῶν τῶν τὸν λόγον βδελυσσο μένων καὶ μὴ εἰδότων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἡλίκον καὶ ὁποῖόν ἐστι, συνορᾶν καὶ ὑμᾶς καὶ πάντας πεπίστευκα. περὶ μὲν Ἀθανασίου τοιαῦτα·

32.1 Περὶ δὲ Μαρκέλλου, ἐπειδὴ καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀσεβοῦντος εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγράψατε, δηλῶσαι ὑμῖν ἐσπούδασα ὅτι ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος διεβεβαιώσατο μὲν μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ γραφέντα παρ' ὑμῶν, ὅμως δὲ ἀπαιτούμενος παρ' ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῆς πίστεως οὕτως μετὰ παρρησίας ἀπεκρίνατο δι' ἑαυτοῦ ὡς ἐπιγνῶναι μὲν ἡμᾶς ὅτι 32.2 μηδὲν ἔξωθεν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁμολογεῖ. οὕτως γὰρ εὐσεβῶς περὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡμολόγησε φρονεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία φρονεῖ· καὶ οὐ νῦν ταῦτα πεφρονηκέναι διεβεβαιώσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔκπαλαι, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι πρεσβύτεροι τότε ἐν τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν συνόδῳ γενόμενοι ἐμαρτύρησαν αὐτοῦ τῇ ὀρ θοδοξίᾳ. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν κατὰ τῆς αἱρέσεως τῶν Ἀρειανῶν πεφρονηκέναι διισχυρίσατο, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ὑμᾶς ὑπομνῆσαι δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ἵνα μηδεὶς τὴν τοιαύτην αἵρεσιν 32.3 ἀποδέχηται, ἀλλὰ βδελύττηται ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν τῆς ὑγιαινούσης διδασκαλίας. ὀρθὰ τοίνυν αὐτὸν φρονοῦντα καὶ ἐπὶ ὀρθοδοξίᾳ μαρτυρούμενον τί πάλιν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου ἔδει ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἢ ἔχειν αὐτόν, ὥσπερ καὶ εἴχομεν, ἐπίσκοπον καὶ μὴ ἀποβάλλειν τῆς 32.4 κοινωνίας; ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐγὼ οὐχ ὡς ὑπεραπολογούμενος αὐτῶν γέγραφα, ἀλλ' ἕνεκα τοῦ πιστεῦσαι ὑμᾶς ὅτι δικαίως καὶ κανονικῶς ἐδεξάμεθα τοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ μάτην φιλονεικεῖτε, ὑμᾶς δὲ δίκαιόν ἐστι σπουδάσαι καὶ πάντα τρόπον καμεῖν, ἵνα τὰ μὲν παρὰ κανόνα γενόμενα διορθώσεως τύχῃ, αἱ δὲ ἐκκλησίαι εἰρήνην ἔχωσι πρὸς τὸ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου εἰρήνην τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν παραμεῖναι καὶ μὴ σχίζεσθαι τὰς ἐκκλησίας μηδὲ ὑμᾶς ὡς αἰτίους σχίσματος μέμψιν ὑπομεῖναι. ὁμολογῶ γὰρ ὑμῖν τὰ γενόμενα οὐκ εἰρήνης, ἀλλὰ σχίσματος προφάσεις εἰσίν.

33.1 Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ περὶ Ἀθανάσιον καὶ Μάρκελλον οἱ ἐπίσκοποι ἐληλύθασιν ἐνταῦθα αἰτιώμενοι κατ' αὐτῶν ἀδικίαν γεγονέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεῖστοι ἄλλοι ἐπίσκοποι ἀπὸ Θρᾴκης, ἀπὸ Κοίλης Συρίας, ἀπὸ Φοινίκης καὶ Παλαιστίνης. καὶ πρεσβύτεροι μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ ἄλλοι ἐξ ἄλλων μερῶν, ἀπήντησαν εἰς τὴν ἐνταῦθα σύνοδον, ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν συνελθόντων ἐπισκόπων πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις οἷς ἔλεγον ἔτι καὶ ἀπωδύροντο βίαν καὶ ἀδικίαν τὰς ἐκκλησίας πεπονθέναι, καὶ ὅμοια τῶν κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν καὶ ἐν